Sunday, July 02, 2006
Brazil gripped by sadness after loss1 July 2006
by Reuters
Disappointment gripped Brazil on Saturday after its star-studded FIFA World Cup™ soccer team suffered a stinging 1-0 defeat to France, ending its hopes of a sixth championship.
"This was the worst thing that could have happened -- to lose to France again," said Fabio Santos, 39, a fan in Sao Paulo.
Brazil, which won the previous FIFA World Cup championship in 2002, and is the only country to have won five FIFA World Cup titles, considers itself
a global soccer superpower.
But it lost to France in the 1998 Final and many Brazilians had prayed their team would not be jinxed again on Saturday.
Brazil's team struggled to find its rhythm and a tough French defense quieted the Brazilian strikers.
Many Brazilian fans blamed the coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, for not playing more of his young reserve players once it became clear the veteran squad was producing few opportunities.
In seaside Rio de Janeiro, the gymnasium of a top Carnival samba school, where thousands of people had gathered to watch the game on giant screens, emptied within minutes of the final whistle. Many fans were tearful.
Fans thought Parreira should have used players like Robinho and Cicinho from the start.
"The only time the team played really well was against Japan with these (young) players, but no, Parreira had to go back to the old scheme," said Aldo Santos, a doorman who watched the game on a small black-and-white TV.
It's just heart-wrenching that Brazil is out of the World Cup. * S H A T T E R E D
4:32 PM
